U.S. team's German contingent amplifies passions

Updated 7:41 am, Thursday, June 26, 2014

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and five of his players' German roots are factors Thursday.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann and five of his players' German roots are factors Thursday.

Photo: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

U.S. team's German contingent amplifies passions

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German soccer comes with a stereotype: that it is stoic, organized, methodical.

But on Thursday, Germans from two continents, playing soccer on a third, will be bubbling over with emotion and feeling, bringing back-stories, old grudges and long-held loyalties onto the field in Recife, Brazil. When the anthems swell, so will their hearts.

The game between the U.S. and Germany was always going to be personal because of the multiple connections between the teams. But it has taken on far more importance than anyone could have predicted back in December, when the countries were drawn together into Group G. Back then, the thought of Jurgen Klinsmann's new team facing his old team was an amusing coincidence. Now it is a dramatic crescendo.

"This World Cup is full of surprises," Klinsmann said Wednesday. "We want to be one of the surprises."

After two games, both Germany and the U.S. have four points. In the big picture - removed from the electro-shock horror of the last-second goal by Portugal - the U.S. should be thrilled to enter the final game with a win and a draw.

The problem for the Americans is that Germany also has four points. Germany's tie against Ghana prevents it from coasting through the final game of group play and puts Ghana in a position to bump the U.S. with a win by a large enough margin and an American loss.

More on the World Cup

And the German team feels the pressure to flex its substantial muscle against the Americans.

The pregame talk about desirable ties and handshake agreements has brought up references to 1982, when Germany and Austria concocted a scandalous agreement that left Algeria out and changed World Cup rules, assuring final group games are played simultaneously. Talk of such agreements is nonsense this week. Both teams want to play to win, and both have points to prove.

Before the World Cup began, Klinsmann made headlines for his honest evaluation that the United States was not in a position to win soccer's biggest trophy. Everything the man says is calculated, and his thinking was probably to position his adopted country as a global underdog. In contrast, he has taken every opportunity to point out that his former team could - maybe should? - win the World Cup.

He's not the only one who thinks so. Germany is one of the loaded teams at the World Cup, and the German press gushed over its team after the opening 4-0 thrashing of Portugal. But the come-from-behind tie against Ghana has caused consternation. Two draws in the group is not the way dominating Germany would want to advance.

The Germans want to show Klinsmann who is the alpha-mannchen.

Klinsmann has his own motivations. Despite being a superstar in Germany, he received plenty of criticism for the way he conducted business as World Cup coach, including living in California. Hindsight experts have also proclaimed Joachim Loew as the true mastermind behind the 2006 team, with Klinsmann just a recognizable face. The German players from Bayern Munich disdain Klinsmann from his brief time coaching the club.

Klinsmann's roster picks with German roots have plenty of motivation of their own. They are virtual strangers in their adopted land. The five German Americans on the roster share a similar story: Their fathers were servicemen stationed in Germany and their mothers are German. All grew up in Germany, speak German as a first language and spent very little - if any - time in the United States.

Jermaine Jones, 32, is one of the more accomplished veterans and has become one of the U.S. team's most reliable players. His laser strike to score the first goal against Portugal was only his most dramatic contribution: He is a tough, physical presence. He played for the German national program and thought he would make the senior team for the 2008 European Championships but was left off by Loew. The snub led to his move to the U.S. team.

On the other end of the spectrum is Julian Green, just 19, who this year chose the U.S. team over Germany's because he knew he would get a chance to play more quickly, rather than wait in line in the German star system.

There is sub Timothy Chandler, whose commitment to the U.S. team has come into question in recent years because of extensive absences, and John Brooks, who was the hero of the first game against Ghana after coming off the bench to score the winner.

Fabian Johnson, who has nailed down the right back position, has been one of the best players on the field for the U.S.. He played on a U-21 German team with players such as Jerome Boateng, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira - all of whom will be playing for Germany on Thursday.

Twenty years ago, when Thomas Dooley was added to the U.S. roster in advance of the 1994 World Cup, there was some controversy. He, too, was the son of a German mother and American serviceman father. He became the team captain, but there was debate about whether he was simply a mercenary, whether he should be allowed on the team.

Such nationalistic feelings haven't necessarily vanished. When Klinsmann included the German-born players on his roster and left American icon Landon Donovan off the team, there was outrage in soccer circles. Many felt their team had been "hijacked" by the Germans, a phrase I heard more than once, though the criticism has quieted with the team's success.

When the anthems play before Thursday's game, the coach and some of the key players on the United States side will know the words to "Das Deutschlandlied," better than "The Star Spangled Banner."

And then they'll go out and try to beat their homeland.

Thursday's Games of the Day

U.S. vs. Germany, 9 a.m. ESPN

Ghana vs. Portugal, 9 a.m. ESPN2

Even while watching the U.S., keep an eye on the other game. The matches are played simultaneously to prevent the type of agreed-upon outcomes that have plagued the World Cup in the past. Any of the four teams in Group G can advance. If Germany and the U.S. tie, they will both advance. But if Germany wins in Recife, it will top the group and open the door for either Ghana or Portugal. Though Germany and the U.S. might be more willing to play for a tie, in the other game, both teams will be attacking - a tie does neither any good. Portugal has a greater goal difference to make up, but Ghana probably feels confident it can make up its goal difference with a win. The Black Stars played well in both of their previous games, and their tie with Germany created group chaos. They will be playing Portugal in Brasilia, having avoided a trip to Manaus. The four teams that played in sweltering Manaus each lost their following match; Portugal and the U.S. will be trying to buck that trend. Germany forward Thomas Mueller, who had a bloody head injury at the end of the Ghana game, is fit to play. Mueller has scored three goals in the World Cup and assisted on another. His teammate, Miroslav Klose, who came off the bench to score the equalizer against Ghana, is tied with retired Brazilian Ronaldo for all-time World Cup goals with 15.

Switzerland 3, Honduras 0

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